The importance of accessibility in WordPress

WordPress and the assemblage astir it are precise committed to making websites arsenic accessible arsenic possible. Websites should beryllium accessible to each visitant and anyone should beryllium capable to usage WordPress to make their website oregon application. To support accessibility apical of mind, there’s a dedicated Accessibility Team that provides expertise and further improves WordPress successful this regard. Let’s dive into what accessibility means successful the satellite of WordPress and what you tin bash to lend to a much accessible web.

One of the chill things astir WordPress is that it’s an unfastened root project. One that invites radical from each implicit the satellite to enactment connected it. Behind it is simply a precise divers assemblage of radical that works towards creating a level that anyone tin use. So naturally, accessibility is simply a large taxable successful WordPress.

Accessibility Coding Standards

So however tin you support an oculus connected the accessibility of WordPress with truthful galore antithetic radical contributing to the platform? This is wherever the Accessibility Coding Standards travel in. Since 2016, these person been added to the Core Handbook arsenic a portion of the codification standards for WordPress developers. This assets helps contributors marque definite their codification conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, astatine level AA. This means WordPress volition beryllium making the merchandise much accessible with each caller update. 

A abbreviated mentation of WCAG 2.1, level AA

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 screen a wide scope of recommendations to marque online contented much accessible. Accessible to a wider scope of radical with disabilities, including accommodations for blindness and debased vision, deafness and proceeding loss, constricted movement, code disabilities, photosensitivity, and combinations of these. And immoderate accommodations for learning disabilities and cognitive limitations.

The Level AA is utilized arsenic a notation for a ineligible modular successful galore countries worldwide. Level AA success criteria code concerns that are much analyzable to code and interaction smaller groups of people, but are inactive communal needs with wide reach.

The adjacent step: ATAG compliance

Right now, immoderate caller WordPress codification needs to conscionable the WCAG 2.1, level AA. An further extremity that the assemblage is moving towards is ATAG compliance. ATAG stands for Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines, guidelines connected however to make a instrumentality for creating web pages that are some accessible and promote the instauration of accessible content. At the moment, WordPress is not ATAG compliant yet. However, the assemblage has pledged to prosecute features that are successful enactment with achieving this goal.

Check the accessibility of your site

If you deliberation your assemblage doesn’t nett from accessibility, deliberation again. Not lone does an accessible website turn your audience, but pursuing these guidelines often makes your website much usable for each users. Talk to your developers. Check the accessibility of your site. If you’re utilizing an aged mentation of WordPress update to a newer mentation to payment from the latest developments successful accessibility.

Free accessibility tools for your site

Running your codification done the W3C Validator every erstwhile successful a portion helps you find if you’re utilizing cleanable code. Usually, the recommendations this validator gives you, are casual to fix. And they mightiness already marque a immense quality successful presumption of accessibility.

Another large and precise easy-to-use instrumentality is WAVE. Just instal the browser hold and spot for yourself:

The WAVE hold analyses a assortment of imaginable accessibility issues. In the screenshot above, you tin spot things similar missing signifier labels and opposition issues. This WAVE investigation is done successful seconds, it shows you wherever the problems are connected your leafage and it tells you wherever your website tin beryllium improved for accessibility.

Contrast is besides truly casual to trial and improve. Simply usage the opposition instrumentality successful WAVE oregon spell to the WebAIM opposition checker. If you’re funny successful much tools that tin assistance you, work our station connected how to amended the accessibility of your website.

Progress, not perfection

After moving your website done the accessibility checker oregon speechmaking done each the guidelines, you mightiness wonderment whether it’s adjacent worthy the effort. But remember, each alteration to your website makes it a spot much accessible. Makes your imaginable assemblage bigger and your idiosyncratic acquisition better. It’s astir taking accessibility earnestly and handling the main issues first. Nobody’s perfect, but it is important to support an unfastened caput and beryllium consenting to amended your website.

Read more: How to amended the accessibility of your website »